Silverlight 5 is the latest version of Microsoft's flagship rich media application development platform. Silverlight has taken on Flash and the still-nascent HTML 5 to become one of the leading tools for creating rich user experiences on the Web, with features like support for 2D and 3D drawing, animations, smooth media playback, and more, all within the same .NET technology familiar to developers who design Windows applications. While other books have done extensive feature surveys and walkthroughs, what's missing is a guidebook to how Silverlight 5 can best be employed in the real world, where you need it to work efficiently alongside the other technologies you use. Applied Silverlight 5 in Context helps you with this, placing Silverlight 5 into a realistic context. It begins by creating a real-world, functional line of business applications--a sales tracking system for customers, transactions, and inventory--from the ground up using the very latest .NET tools and development practices. Here, you'll see how Silverlight 5 fits into the architecture of your project and interacts with the other technologies that are vital for your project's success. By the end of this book, you will be in an excellent position to make sense of the many moving parts and technologies that surround Silverlight 5 web development and will be able to take on your own projects with a renewed sense of confidence. What you'll learn Silverlight 5 concepts in the context of creating a line of business applications from the ground up. How to integrate Silverlight 5 with report writers such as Crystal Reports and SQL Server Reporting Services. To understand Entity Framework, entity models, and LINQ in a full-blown production application. How to access remote services on a server from the client machine using WCF RIA Services. Who this book is for This book is for experienced software developers interested in seeing how Silverlight 5 can be put to work in a realistic context where it will co-exist with other technologies in the reader's workplace.
